Sports shoes that work out whether their owner has done enough exercise to warrant time in front of the television have been devised in the UK.
The shoes — named Square Eyes — contain an electronic pressure sensor and a tiny computer chip to record how many steps the wearer has taken in a day. A wireless transmitter passes the information to a receiver connected to a television, and this decides how much evening viewing time the wearer deserves, based on the day’s efforts.
The design was inspired by a desire to fight against the rapidly ballooning waistlines among British teenagers, says Gillian Swan, who developed Square Eyes as a final year design project at Brunel University in London, UK. “We looked at current issues and childhood overweight really stood out,” she says. “And I wanted to tackle that with my design.”
Once a child has used up their daily allowance gained through exercise, the television automatically switches off. And further time in front of the TV can only be earned through more steps.
Swan calculated how exercise should translate to television time using the recommended daily amounts of both. Health experts suggest that a child take 12,000 steps each day and watch no more than two hours of television. So, every 100 steps recorded by the Square Eyes shoes equals precisely one minute of TV time.
Existing pedometers (计步器) normally clip onto a belt or slip into a pocket and keep count of steps by measuring sudden movement. Swan says these can be easily tricked into recording steps through shaking. But her shoe has been built to be harder for lazy teenagers to cheat. “It is possible, but it would be a lot of effort,” she says. “That was one of my main design considerations.” According to Swan, the purpose of her design project is to ________.
A.keep a record of the steps of the wearer |
B.deal with overweight among teenagers |
C.enable children to resist the temptation of TV |
D.prevent children from being tricked by TV programs |
Which of the following is true of Square Eyes shoes?
A.They regulate a child’s evening TV viewing time. |
B.They determine a child’s daily pocket money. |
C.They have raised the hot issue of overweight. |
D.They contain information of the receiver. |
What is stressed by health experts in their suggestion?
A.The exact number of steps to be taken. |
B.The precise number of hours spent on TV. |
C.The proper amount of daily exercise and TV time. |
D.The way of changing steps into TV watching time. |
Compared with other similar products, the new design ________.
A.makes it difficult for lazy teenagers to cheat |
B.counts the wearer’s steps through shaking |
C.records the sudden movement of the wearer |
D.sends teenagers’ health data to the receiver |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Smart Shoes Decide on Television Time |
B.Smart Shoes Guarantee More Exercise |
C.Smart Shoes Measure Time of Exercise |
D.Smart Shoes Stop Childhood Overweight |
I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble.
I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of
my pocket and put it on her desk.
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test.The story took place(发生) exactly ____________ .
A.in the teacher’s office | B.in an exam room |
C.in the school | D.in the language lab |
The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ____________ .
A.she had not brought a pen with her |
B.she had lost her own on her way to school |
C.there was something wrong with her own |
D.her own had been taken away by someone |
The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____________ .
A.to go on writing his paper |
B.to stop whispering |
C.to leave the room immediately |
D.to stay behind after the exam |
The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were) ____________ .
A.honesty | B.sense of duty | C.seriousness | D.all of the above |
The boy knew everything ____________ .
A.the moment he was asked to stay behind |
B.when the teacher started talking about honesty |
C.only some time later |
D.when he was walking out of the room |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed宣告 a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation康乃馨.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910,the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to established Father’s Day as a national commemorative纪念的 day in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead.Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true ?
A.It is a day to show love to mothers |
B.It is a day to wear carnations |
C.It is a day for people to visit the cemetery |
D.It is a day for many people to attend religious services |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was bought up
A.a b c d | B.d a b c | C.b a c d | D.d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?
A.Mrs. Do | B.Margaret Chase Smith |
C.Ann Jarvis | D.Woodrow Wilson |
From the passage, we know in the U.S ________________.
A.one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away |
B.on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues |
C.on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day. |
D.The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents |
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________
A.call on people to love and respect their parents. |
B.introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
C.tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
D.show how important fathers and mothers are |
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”, My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games .Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us.
People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
A.Look at them sadly. | B.Keep them company. |
C.Play games with them. | D.Touch them gently. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ______
A.would eat anything when hungry | B.felt scary for her mistake |
C.loved playing hide-and-seek | D.disliked the author's dad |
Why does the author say that Browrnie was more than just a family pet?
A.She was treated as a member of the family. |
B.She played games with anyone she liked. |
C.She was loved by everybody she met. |
D.She went everywhere with the family. |
Some people got frightened by Brownie when she _______
A.smiled | B.barked | C.rushed to them | D.tried to be funny |
Which of the following best describes Brownie?
A.Shy. | B.Polite. | C.Brave. | D.Caring. |
My life as a ‘runner’ began by running in a playground near my home in order to lose weight about 2 years ago. As time went by, I found myself so good at running that sometimes, I even forgot how many rounds I ran around the playground.
Thanks to all this practice, I was able to win the 5th place in short course marathon game at ‘BASF Yeosu Site Athletic Competition’ held in October 2002. This event inspired(鼓舞)me to take part in public short-course marathon games such as 10km, 20km and half-course competitions. Finally, in May 2003, I was able to complete a full course (路线) marathon for the first time of my life. My next challenge was the Boston Marathon race, which is the world's oldest and most famous marathon races. To qualify for the Boston Marathon, one should meet the designated time standard of their age group at a certified marathon. So I took part in ChunCheon Marathon in Korea. I had to finish the full coursewithin 3 hours and 30 minutes to meet the time standard for my age group (45 to 49 years old). But to my pleasant surprise, I recorded 3 hours 22 minutes, which is 25 minute faster than my previous best record!
In April 2004, I was finally able to go to Boston. I was very pleased and proud because I could play a role to promote BASF all across the world through this sport. And it really happened! When I ran in the Boston Marathon wearing BASF logo(标记), people along the streets rooted for me shouting ‘BASF! BASF!’. I was very touched and so proud of my company. Of course I completed the full course successfully. After the game, I was interviewed by Korean local newspapers and had an opportunity to appear on several TV shows, which helped me to promote BASF in the community. The author first began running in order to ______.
A.build up his strength | B.prepare for a marathon race |
C.lose weight | D.train for a sport meet |
From the passage we can learn that BASF is ______.
A.a company | B.a book |
C.a piece of sports equipment | D.a city |
We learn from the passage that the author is NOW______.
A.in his thirties | B.in his late forties |
C.in his twenties | D.in his fifties |
According to the passage, the author first took part in a full course marathon in ______.
A.2002 | B.2003 | C.2004 | D.2005 |
Finding something to do during the school holidays isn't always easy, but one mum has set up a new website to help families find activities and events in Norfolk.
Fiona Anthony of Bawburgh, near Norwich, was persuaded by her friends to set up the website, Info4Families, when they noticed she always knew what events were happening in the county(县).
"I am always looking for things to keep my children occupied and Norfolk has such a lot going on," she said.
Detail(细节)from Info4Families
"But I found it quite difficult to get information about events and activities for children and families, as there was no central information point and it would often involve collecting leaflets(传单) and checking notice boards at different places.
"So I decided to set up a website which would allow people to find things to do, without leaving home," she added.
Fiona was also concerned that some events she had booked had to be cancelled(取消) because not enough people wanted to go.
"It is a real shame that some parents can’t find the events and some event organisers don’t get the numbers they need. I want to help bring the two together," said Fiona.
The website gives details on regular, one-off and free events, and includes activities which children can do on their own or with the family.
Parents can look for activities by category(种类)and by age so that they can find events suitable for their children’s interests and needs. The site also links to local places of interest, such as libraries, museums and cinemas. Fiona Anthony set up the website __________.
A.to tell people how to spend their holidays at home |
B.to design some activities for event organizers |
C.to help people choose activities and events they’re interested in |
D.to make money by providing some useful information |
The underlined word “occupied” in the third paragraphs probably means “________”.
A.busy | B.happy | C.free | D.tired |
From the website Info4Families, we can easily access to the following websites about Norfolk except ________.
A.museums | B.schools | C.cinemas | D.libraries |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Not all the events on the website are free of charge. |
B.Fiona always knew what events were happening in her country. |
C.Children must take part in the activities provided by the website together with their parents. |
D.some organizers often feel disappointed that not enough people take part in their activities. |